ARE HARLEYS WHAT THEY ARE CRACKED UP TO BE?

[jeepster]

i just sold a 07 fat boy, had it one year. always had metric in the past. put 5500 miles on it last summer, sold it last week, bought a road star 1700. yamaha is better handling,better tranny,not clunkey like the harley was. rides smoother, more comfortabe, softer seat. better access to handle bar controls. it did hold it's value better. but the riding experience was dissapointing. i've been riding over 50 yrs. this was a big dissapointment. very expensive to repair,more maintanance,oil and filters cost more, from dealer. was very dissatisfied with harley. your paying for the name, more than the ride. just an opinion.

[Hornhonker]

Loved the comfort of my 110ci ultra classic but will not revisit HD until they water cool.

[mogster]

No

[BobK]

Yes.

[madjak30]

All this talk about H-D being so expensive...check the price of the Sportster against the competition...very similar, if not lower in price than most. They are a well made bike, that have some of the best fuelling on the market...but I'm not a fan of their styling for the most part...I do like the Vrod though! There are very few bikes that sound as good as a H-D, but too many guys go to straight pipes and then they just are loud and crappy sounding...I prefer the looks of the Victory line or the Yamaha cruisers, but I'm not a cruiser guy...yet...maybe when I turn 50?

For me there are three things that matter when buying...styling/sound, comfort and price...I really couldn't care less what the badge says, and why would it matter? If I like it, it's comfortable & the price is right then it's the right bike for me...end of story.

Quit being a bunch of bike snobs & just join the biker community to enjoy the ride, not look down your nose at others...

My 2 cents!

Later.

[Tony216]

I race a Buell XB and owned a Dyna. I don't think they are the highest quality motorcycle in the world. But parts are CHEAP, insurance was cheap and you can buy low and sell high pretty easily with Harleys.

[dr_bar]

I see this thing has been dragged up out of the gutter again. I wish people would respect other peoples choices in what they ride without slamming the make or model of their choice. It's is topics like this one that lost us one of our long time, extremely knowledgeable members. Some of us ride Yamaha's, some ride Hondas, others ride Harleys. Accept it, and don't feel the need to abuse someone else because they don't have the same preferences as you...

[Hanson]

+1 dr_bar

[BRUMBEAR]

To be honest DOC I really do but as a Buell guy I have a moral imperative to scootch Harley whenever possible. I have owned them in the past I will own them again XR1200 is a great bike but I will always remember

[totalmotorcycle]

Well since BRUMBEAR brought this topic up again I have to add:

I was seriously considering a Harley-Davidson Fat Bob as my next bike (I ended up buying the Moto Guzzi V7 Stone instead) and even took a 2013 Harley-Davidson Fat Bob for a test ride with the new 103 cubic inch engine. I did made an offer on it that was rejected and that week I took out a Moto Guzzi and fell in love; so if it wasn't for the MG, then I might be riding a H-D right now. The Fat Bob is a very nice bike, the 103 was a little better (but not really super better) than the 96. You can feel the quality of Harley-Davidson there is no doubt and in fact prices for them have been getting more reasonable (well, some models anyways). For used I would say there are much better values in Japanese cruiser bikes out there, but new prices (new vs new) I would say H-D is competitive considering what you get in the brand. H-D has a special style to it and sound. If you like it and are willing to pay for that, awesome. If you want more something more then there are 30+ other manufacturers out there willing to sell you it.

But as Dr_Bar said, we have to be respectful on a riders bike decisions. They made a choice for them, not for you.

Mike